The Democrats' and Republicans' unprecedented fight for the presidency more than two weeks after election day has inspired many citizens to scrutinize the long hidden flaws in our nation's electoral and political system. But while the corporate media focused on the legal and public relations battle over Florida's 25 electoral votes, little if any attention has been paid to the issue of voter disenfranchisement due to discrimination.

Shortly after the polls closed on Nov. 7 African American leaders in Florida claimed that black voters were the victims of systematic harrassment and intimidation. Allegations included election officials turning away voters with the dubious explanation that the precinct had run out of ballots. Others claim police check points were set up in some cities in an attempt to deter voters from going to the polls.

Discrimination against people of color during elections is not a new phenomenon in the U.S., especially in the South. The civil rights struggles of the 1960's were waged in large part to win suffrage for African Americans, who through literacy tests and poll taxes were denied the right to vote.

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